CSUB hosts Engineering Day

500 high school students hear about engineering program, career possibilities

By California State University, Bakersfield

February 28^th, 2023

California State University, Bakersfield's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering welcomed 500 students from 15 area high schools on Feb. 24 for its annual Engineering Day.

High school students were invited to the university to learn more about engineering in general, NSME's programs in the discipline and career paths they can pursue if they earn their degree in it.

“I’m so glad to see many of you are already inspired to become a future engineer,” Dr. Jane Dong, dean of NSME, told the students. “Kern County needs more local engineers. Engineers will help to build a better future economy for our communities.”

After Dr. Dong's welcome, Dr. Luis Cabrales Arriaga, chair of the Department of Physics & Engineering, gave a presentation on NSME's three engineering programs and what future students can expect from them.

The event also included a panel with CSUB engineering alumni, moderated by Dr. Andrea Medina, NSME's director of grants and outreach. Panelists shared how their experience at CSUB prepared them to work at Edwards Air Force Base, Rain for Rent and other regional employers.

Asked why they chose to attend CSUB for their engineering education, the panelists agreed that affordability and proximity to family were big reasons but that the programs also compared favorably to those in bigger universities.

“The fact that we’re ABET-accredited is huge,” said alumna Sandra Peters, referring to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. “A lot of places won’t hire you if your engineering program is not accredited. To have that locally is really top-notch.”

Alfredo Arevalo, who works with Peters and fellow panelist Grace Roman at Edwards Air Force Base, agreed that attending CSUB was the perfect choice for him.

“It’s close to home, (and) I left CSUB with no debt,” he said. “The program once I got here was great. It was hard, but all the classes I took here all help me out to this day with everything I do at work."

Dr. Jane Dong, dean of CSUB's School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering, addresses the crowd of 500 high school students gathered for Engineering Day.

Dr. Luis Cabrales Arriaga, chair of the Department of Physics & Engineering, tells students what they can expect as engineering majors at CSUB.

Around 500 students attended the 2023 Engineering Day, which was held at the Doré Theatre to accommodate the event's largest crowd yet.

Dr. Luis Cabrales Arriaga tells students about the research opportunities awaiting them as CSUB students.

Students came from 15 area high schools.

Alumna Grace Roman, who joined via Zoom, is one of three panelists working at Edwards Air Force Base, along with Sandra Peters and Alfredo Arevalo, the first two from the left. Dr. Andrea Medina, director of grants and outreach for NSME, moderated.

Engineering Day events included a panel with CSUB engineering alumni, who answered questions about their time at CSUB and their current jobs as working engineers.

Alfredo Arevalo, instrumentation operations engineer at Edwards Air Force Base, and Spencer Schaffer, mechanical engineer for Bishop-Wisecarver, answer questions from students.

Jesus Banuelos, seen here addressing high school students, previously worked at Mazzei Injector Company and is now starting his own construction company.

Alfredo Arevalo, Spencer Schaffer and Martin Mendoza, mechanical engineer at Rain for Rent, share their educational and professional experience with high school students interested in engineering.

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Footnotes

Story by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME); Photos by EJ Medellin, multimedia student assistant

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FootNotes

Story by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist, School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering (NSME); Photos by EJ Medellin, multimedia student assistant

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CSUB hosts Engineering Day

500 high school students hear about engineering program, career possibilities

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